Managing Director, CMCG India

He began his career in the PR industry more than a decade ago with Roger Pereira Communications after a three year stint at RP Communications he moved to IPAN to start its Mumbai office. At IPAN, he spent one and a half years. After having spent four years and 10 months in the PR industry, the entrepreneurial bug bit him and November 1994 saw the emergence of Communication Management Consulting Group (CMCG). He is none other than 38 year old young dynamic Samir Kale, founder and managing director of CMCG India.

CMCG India bagged Enron (Dabhol Power Company) as its first client, the most prestigious and sought- after assignment in the public relations industry at that time. CMCG India has moved ahead successfully in bagging big clients. The firm today has clients such as Pepsi, ESPN Star Sports, HBO, Investment Banking firm Lazard India, The Turner International group of Channels comprising of CNN and Cartoon Network, Radio City to name a few. The agency enters its 10th year of operations this month.

Over the years, Kale amassed invaluable experience in the areas of crisis/issues management, media relations, brand building, and communication strategies. More recently realizing the fact that specialized PR is going to be the name of the game in the future, and the huge untapped potential that sports has in this country Kale went ahead and formed India's first specialized Sports PR firm called 'SportzPR'

In conversation with exchange4Media, Samir Kale - Founder and Managing director of 'CMCG India talks about the changes that have occurred over the last decade in the PR Industry, the role of PR, and the potential of the Indian PR industry and all about his new venture Sportz PR.

Our USP is our integrity, the depth of our understanding to offer strategic advice, and our ability to deliver unparalleled value in everything we undertake. We believe that public relations is a strategic business function needing specialized skills, dedication and commitment. In a world of fierce competition, brand overload, little eyeball or shelf loyalty, corporate reputation is hard to build and harder to sustain. Communication needs to be innovative, integral to business plans and implemented with immediacy across every segment that could possibly impact or influence business growth.

Importantly, we believe in retaining clients. You can retain clients only if you offer consistent, incremental value. Most of our clients have been with us for very long time which is unique in today's highly competitive environment especially in the service industry.

The industry was very small then and was emerging. Though it has gathered momentum, it is still an emerging industry. Today, I find that there is lot more awareness about the PR industry. Youngsters are finding this industry an attractive industry to be a part of it.
Clients in today's time have become more demanding and are looking for strategic advice and complete communications solutions apart from media relations which still forms the core of client expectations.

I see a considerable change among the media as well. They have understood the need for a PR professional. It's a friendly atmosphere in the current times between a PR professional and a journalist as both have realized the need for each others profession.
Further, technological changes have done wonders for this industry. Communication has become easier and faster across the globe.

We have not handled small sized clients so far. I believe that it is extremely challenging to work with smaller clients especially in relation to the media. While for large clients, the challenge lies in getting the right media exposure as the stakes are much higher. Large clients expect more of strategic inputs.

I wouldn't say it has been a conscious decision. But, invariably we have always worked with large clients. When I started, our first client was Enron, the second General Motors, the third Pepsi and so on. If I can put it correctly, we prefer to be associated with the best. It is not necessarily the size that matters but certainly the leadership across the industry. Also, we are not very aggressive in client acquisition. We want to consciously avoid running after client acquisitions and in the process lose quality of service which is what has happened with many a big PR companies today. We are more foucsed on sustainable business.

We do not pitch aggressively for clients like I mentioned earlier. Most of our clients have come to us through referrals, and have stayed with us for long periods.

There are no conflicts here. Client's interests are paramount for us.

As I said earlier, integrity and ethics are paramount to us. PR industry is like any other business or profession. One can't make a generalized comment on the industry as a whole.

Most people are attracted to PR they believe it's a glamorous job. However, it is a extremely demanding, and a very challenging job. That's what makes the work more enjoyable.
We as an industry need to groom the young professionals entering this profession. PR is a people intensive business, and skilled personnel are key to this profession. I do not think we are putting in that much effort to train and groom youngsters mainly because of our inherent insecurities.